


The Princess and the Spirit

by TheGreenPrism



Category: Brave (2012), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:53:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26412949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreenPrism/pseuds/TheGreenPrism
Summary: “I danced with you.” He said almost defensibly.Merida narrowed her eyes. “Aye, but ya’ don’t seem to have any intentions behind it.”“My intention was to enjoy my evening. Is that the only way people see you, princess? As a means to an end?”
Relationships: Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood) & Merida (Disney), Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood)/Merida (Disney)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	The Princess and the Spirit

**Author's Note:**

> Getting back into writing after a long time, I thought the Jarida fandom needed a gift. Here is a one-shot. There's not really a story, I decided to mainly just have fun with it.

Merida had drowned it all out by now. The music, the chatter, the laughs and praises of the royal family… She hated it all. The princess stood on the podium next to her mother welcoming each and every noble that entered the ballroom and felt the need to come say hello to the royal family. Which they all did and boy was she tired of each one trying to come up with new compliments for the crown princess.

_She has grown hasn_ _’t she?_

_Oh, just like her mother. Princess, you_ _’ve grown quite beautifully._

_A fine queen you_ _’ll make one day once you find your husband._

The now older red head had promised her mother to remain civil during the usual greetings. Especially during the latter ones. Most nobles steered away from talking about the incident on her 16th birthday. Although it must’ve been quite the talk these last few years during banquets and parties. A princess taking over the tournament for her own hand in marriage. The guts! Not even taking into account the magical events in the aftermath. Fortunately for her, her parents had come to a compromise with their daughter about the arrangements concerning her future and that of the kingdom, not every noble and neighbouring kingdom seemed to approve of such an agreement. Though they lacked the nerve to say it directly. Merida noticed it in their expressions, their choice of words, the tone in their voices. Regardless, she had grown since then. Which meant choosing to remain silent and ignoring comments like these and the ugly sneers she got from people instead of throwing a fit and starting a fight with whomever tried to impose their views on her.

Just a while more and this would be over. She could go back to sword practice and her mother’s lessons in law. Which, considering the power she would soon inherit, had become more and more interesting over the years.

Another noble had bowed and started to small talk with her mother. Updates on events that happened in their part of the kingdom. Merida tried to focus on his face, listen to his words but they weren’t coming through to her.

A cold air suddenly brushed her shoulder. Merida looked over to the side of the ballroom where most guests were talking to each other holding drinks and looking at the ones gracefully dancing in the middle of the room. It took her a few seconds but fixating on the crowd she noticed a young man by himself observing the people around him. It became obvious very quickly he stood out from the crowd and why she hadn’t noticed him before this evening was a mystery to her. From the way he held himself to the way his attire looked, he appeared not to be the regular guest of her parents’ festivities. He was dressed in warm brown and dark blue clothing, wearing a large blue cloak around his shoulders lined with white fur, as well as blue and white apparel underneath.

Merida could not make out to which kingdom his fashion belonged. It certainly wasn’t hers but she couldn’t pinpoint the culture to associate with it. His looks stood out most with snow white hair and a cold pale skin that looked like it hadn’t seen the sun in years. His posture was odd as well. The stranger kept himself closed off from the rest of the crowd and yet seemed to blend in perfectly. With his hands held behind his back and standing straight, Merida could not decipher whether he was a commoner, a noble or even a prince. If he was royalty, she would’ve recognised him but never in her life had she seen a face as extraordinary and intriguing as his.

It seemed he felt her stare. His eyes shifted first and then his head lightly turned towards her. Merida caught light of his dark blue eyes that seemed to complete the painting of the mysterious noble. Their eyes locked onto each other, each pair attracted by the other. She held her breath, too stubborn to be the one to look away first. But as the mysterious noble held her gaze a slight smile formed on his face. Merida swallowed and quickly looked back at the people in front of her not wanting to give him the satisfaction of her attention.

Merida tried to regain her focus on the people in front and beside her. She felt uneasy, her hands tingled and before she realised it her eyes had glided back to the stranger. To her surprise his gaze hadn’t left her, his smile had grown and so had his interest it seemed.

Merida felt challenged and threw him a confused but amused look. She shook her head slowly not understanding why this guest decided on a staring contest with the crown princess.

The stranger answered with a silent chuckle, his eyes never leaving her. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed something move on the buffet table. A cloth fell down and with it a plate full of cakes.

Her brothers.

They were going to get in trouble and Merida didn’t want unnecessary drama at the next dinner. Waiting until her mother’s attention on her wavered she then scurried off into the crowd after the three devils. She heard their tiny giggles and caught them behind a curtain taking a door into a small hallway. By the time she had reached them her mother’s commanding voice pulled her around.

“Merida!” She didn’t sound angry. Queen Elinor had that tone in her voice mothers have when they wanted to force their kids to do something they knew they didn’t want to in public. Merida knew whatever she was about to ask, she wasn’t going to like it but she couldn’t defy her mother in front of all these people. At her mother’s arm was a tall man from the Norman kingdom Merida recognised as a leader who was looking for a new spouse. And her mother was planning on introducing her daughter to him as the diplomat she was.

It wasn’t the most adult decision but her feet had already turned the other way before a thought could enter her mind. Her legs took the lead through the crowd trying to be engulfed by laughing guests and dancers. Through the tight openings Merida followed a path towards the middle of the ballroom and halted when another face met her.

Eyes like the dark night sky shifted down on her. His smile never faded.

Merida felt herself froze up. Up close he looked even more perplexing. His image was part of the vibrant colours around him and solid and yet he didn’t seem part of this world. Once she managed to pull her eyes away from his face, she glanced down and saw he held his hand out to her. In response, the redhead glared back up at him in defiance.

The look he threw back at her held a bit of cleverness and understanding. With one eyebrow raised and a corner of his lips following its example he asked: “Are you sure?”

His voice was low and steady but held a comfortable feel to it. He looked near her age, and though he sounded older, his tone had something youthful to it.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Merida instinctively sneered at him.

“Well, by the looks of it your Highness your mother intends to introduce you to a man who is quite eager to meet a young princess like you.” He paused, his eyes narrowing on her. ‘But you don’t intend to let that happen.’

“Observant, aren’t ya’?” Not disguising the irritation in her voice. Who was he to think he could approach the crown princess like this?

“I try to be.” How did that smile never falter? How did it not get smaller? “Can I have this dance, your Highness?”

Merida threw a short glance over her shoulder and saw a future night of boring and creepy talks she couldn’t escape. That was all it took for her to grab his hand.

She heard him chuckle as he let her drag him to the dance floor. Merida imagined a look of surprise on her mother’s face because another young man had managed to approach her daughter and even win her over to dance with him. It didn’t appear as tough as she thought. It was so easy to let her eyes fall back onto her dance partner and his magnetic gaze. Nevertheless, she wasn’t going let him feel victorious and so firmly grabbed his right hand and his side making it clear she would lead their dance.

He was startled by it but only for a moment and it quickly took place for what looked like joy as his smile reached his eyes.

Merida stepped forward and only felt him restrain for a split second. The princess didn’t dance a lot but her partner showed he hadn’t danced it years. His moves were slow and stiff and Merida caught him occasionally looking down at their feet. Maybe this stranger wasn’t as tall as he appeared to be.

He looked back at her. His smile now holding a hint of nervousness.

Merida liked that she broke through his confidence. She saw something new and genuine. It gave the appearance of the fairy like snow white character a new human layer.

She led him through a slow dance and as the their feet followed the rhythm Merida started to feel as the wind was guiding her through the music and the ballroom just as it did when she went hunting.

It almost seemed like the mysterious guest was familiar with her as he followed her lead like he’d done it before and as the music swelled up their bodies synchronised with each other. The crowd around them changed into a blur and Merida forgot the politics, the responsibilities, the expectations and the judgements. For only just a moment, she forgot she was a princess.

Her stranger had fallen silent from the moment she took the lead in their dance. Not a word or chuckle, even his uncrackable smile had been replaced with a dreamy expression, looking as enchanted by her as she was by him. Though she’d never admit it.

Her firm grip on his hand never weakened out of fear that if she’d let go the spirit would disappear and she would be alone again among a crowd where she didn’t feel a part of. His blue gaze held the same grip on her face like he was scared to forget her the moment he would look away. It gave Merida a tight feeling in her chest, it was unexpected and new but she did not want to part from it. Not yet anyway.

Merida couldn’t figure out if they were still dancing to the same song or if they’d already gone through three. After a while, with more guests flooding the party the ballroom became more cramped and heat started to swell up. She noticed it in the stranger’s expression as well. He seemed to get uncomfortable due to the change in atmosphere and his gaze slowly shifted toward the outside balcony longing for night-time air.

The princess wanted to open her mouth to say something but instead slowed down and let go of his side. Her right hand remained entangled in his as she stepped back and started pulling him out of the crowd.

He followed without objection.

With one step outside she let go of his hand and breathed in the fresh air of the cold evening. A wintry breeze pushed against her back and guided her towards the handrail. As her hands rested on the stone, she heard his footsteps behind her. The mysterious young man leaned his elbows on the handrail and looked forward to the dark forest stretching out over the land of DunBroch. Without the ruckus and chaos of the ballroom Merida could finally take this chance to study him.

The way he held himself was like a noble, elegant but stiff, familiar with the crowd but at the same time apart from it. In the moonlight, his features were soft but seemed unnatural the more she focused on them. He looked so young, but his eyes held something old. Something forgotten.

“Find what you’re looking for?”

Merida noticed a small but sly grin form on his face but she did not break her gaze. “I have never seen you before. What kingdom are you from?”

She thought she saw something flicker in his eyes. Maybe hesitation to answer her honestly? But he remained silent, distracted by a light snowfall covering the fields before them. Maybe she could go another direction. “Why are you here? You’re not mingling with any of the guests.’

“I danced with you.” He said almost defensibly.

Merida narrowed her eyes. “Aye, but ya’ don’t seem to have any intentions behind it.”

“My intention was to enjoy my evening. Is that the only way people see you, princess? As a means to an end?” He broke his gaze from the woods and turned his full attention to her.

She answered with a blank stare. This stranger wasn’t a noble nor a prince. What was he then? “Well?” She asked.

He looked at her questionably.

“Did you enjoy your evening?”

“It’s still young, isn’t it?”

_Cop-out._ She thought. “Why here?”

“I’m just passing through, your Highness. And lucky me, I got to dance with the crown princess of clan DunBroch.”

“Lucky you.” Merida didn’t mean for it to sound sarcastic but he seemed to pick is up like that.

He let out a huff and then sighed pleased with the replacement of the busy ballroom for the cold night.

“Who are you?” He clearly knew she was the crown princess so she felt entitled to the knowledge of his identity.

“After all this time, do you really feel the need for it?”

The princess wanted to object. _That wasn_ _’t what I asked._ Or _Why are you being this cryptic?_ But somehow she agreed. If he was really passing through, why was it even necessary to know the name of a stranger she would only get to see tonight.

“Wanna keep yourself a mystery, don’t ya?”

“Isn’t that the fun part?” He grinned slyly.

“Have you done this before?” It looked like he knew his way around the room while simultaneously feeling out of touch and uneasy.

“You seem not to be put at ease unless I answer a question.”

“I’m stubborn.”

He chuckled in agreement. “Let’s make a deal. If I answer yours, will you answer mine, your Highness?”

She felt something nudge at her but she waved those worries away. It was like making a deal with a fae but she couldn’t help it. It threw the boring night upside down, pushed something out of order in her daily routine, a spark in a dark night and she lived for those moments.

He took her silence as a yes. “You seem to sense it.”

“What?” The redhead asked intrigued.

“Magic.”

Merida’s eyes widened. She’d hoped to let go of that part of her past.

“There’s magic in these parts and you’ve encountered it, haven’t you?”

Her kneejerk reaction was to deny it, to ask him where he got these facts. But this stranger was no ordinary person and no matter how he knew this about her, his intentions didn’t seem malicious. Merida chose her next words carefully.

“Ma’ mum used to tell me that magic is for those that believe in it. Like in the will o' the wisps.”

“Do you believe?”

“Perhaps.” She replied. It was her time to be mysterious. “You?”

“Do you really feel the need for my answer?”

“Guess not.” She answered disgruntled.

“And to bring you at ease.” He continued. “Yes, your highness, I have done this before.” His voice sounded defeated as he looked back towards the landscape that was slowly getting a thin layer of snow a sad smile appeared on his face. “But not in quite a while.”

Merida wasn’t good with words. Actions were louder and if that wasn’t an option she usually just wanted straight answers without all the politics surrounding it. The sudden sorrow that crossed his eyes held her locked in place. It felt deep, painful and never-ending. She wanted to ask where it came from but the words didn’t reach her throat afraid of cutting the emotional wound even deeper.

“Thank you.”

The young man’s eyes softened once he heard her voice again, the by now familiar sound seemed to bring him more and more at ease.

“For helping me out back there. I didn’t choose this kind of life so it’s nice to escape it once in a while.”

He let out a faint laugh Merida couldn’t quite read. He shifted on the railing.

She fell silent deciding to join him in the quiet moment. She laid her eyes on the thin layer of soft snow and it dawned on her how freezing it was outside this evening. The stranger seemed unmoved by it and to her surprise neither did she.

“I didn’t even notice before. It’s going to be Winter soon. No, second that.” She said as she shivered, the cold creeping into her clothes. “Maybe it’s already arrived.”

A faint expression of what seemed to be that familiar giddy grin appeared in the dark light of the moon and the dim light of the ballroom. “Princess.” He spoke in a soft and warm voice. “It really was nice to see you...” His sentence seemed to die out at the last words and he shuffled closer to her finally noticing her shivering.

Merida didn’t move when their arms touched. Her eyes locked on him, he looked at her as if she were a lost love found again. She savoured the enchanting moment she and this mysterious spirit shared. It was a nice change of pace, having someone gaze at her this affectionate without the large banner of her clan hanging above her head.

“What are you?” She finally asked.

He grinned and just as in the ballroom his gaze on her unmoved.

She’d finally asked the right question.

As her guest opened his mouth to respond, the door of the balcony opened abruptly. The interruption made Merida force her gaze away from him to the door where her mother stood.

“Merida, what are you doing out here? It’s frigid. Come back inside.”

Merida pointed towards her partner and started to introduce him but as the words _Mother, this is_ left her mouth she found the balcony to be empty besides herself. Her hand dropped as she stared at the empty space before her.

“But…”

“Enough running around, guests are leaving. Come inside. It’s winter, you shouldn’t be out here.”

Merida let her mother drag her back inside the busy space. The words lingering in her mind. _It_ _’s winter_.

“Yeah, I guess it is.”


End file.
